Couple arrested in Lyons tied to dozens of thefts

Staff report

A Lyons man stopped on suspicion of breaking into a car in the southwest suburb was arrested in a truck stolen from Chicago and is suspected along with his fiancee in dozens of other thefts of items including car radios, tools, and even a child’s bike from as far away as central Wisconsin, police said today.

Carl Nietupski, 50, faces felony possession of a stolen vehicle and felony motor vehicle burglary charges, as well as multiple misdemeanor stolen property possession charges and traffic citations, according to a release from Lyons police. Nietupski, of the 8000 block of Ogden Avenue in Lyons, and his fiancee, Betty Hubka, who faces multiple misdemeanor theft charges, were scheduled for a bond hearing today in Cook County’s Bridgeview Branch Court today.

Nietupski was arrested Friday about 9 p.m. near Joliet and Ogden avenues in Lyons by officers who had been looking for him in connection with a car break-in in the block where he lives, according to police. Nietupski had been caught on videotape breaking into the car that morning, police said.

When police arrested Nietupski, they discovered the vehicle he was driving had been stolen in Chicago earlier in the day, and found the items taken from the car that had been parked on Ogden in the bed of the truck.

At Nietupski and Hubka’s home, police found a dozen boxes of item, and police have traced the property to “dozens of victims in the area as well as felony crimes committed in Jackson County,” Wisc., according to the release.

More than a dozen people have already identified their stolen property. Among the items found in a room entirely filled with stolen goods were tools, car radios, electronics, clothing, a children’s bike and children’s baseball equipment. Police are expecting to seek additional charges as more victims come forward.

Anyone who has been the victim of a theft in the area who suspects they might have lost property in the thefts can call Lyons Police Commander Brian Kuratko at 708-447-1225.